Seniors, Wellness and Social Development
August 18, 2015
Investing in Accessibility for Individuals and Families
Accessible Vehicle Funding Removes Transportation Barriers
A total of $340,000 has been allocated through this year’s Accessible Vehicle Program to help 15 people with mobility disabilities acquire or adapt personal vehicles for accessibility.
“The Provincial Government is firmly committed to removing barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in our society – and lack of accessible transportation presents real obstacles to inclusion. The Accessible Vehicle Program was designed to give people with mobility disabilities more independence and to reduce personal costs associated with disability. I am pleased to see this program continuing to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.”
- The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development and Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities
The Accessible Vehicle Program provides up to $25,000 to eligible individuals and families towards the cost of purchasing and/or installing accessibility features for a new or existing vehicle. Partial grants can also be applied toward the cost of a new vehicle which has already been manufactured with accessibility features. Since its inception in 2012, more than $1.2 million has been provided to help 65 individuals become more independent.
One of this year’s funding recipients is Brittany Long of Paradise.
“The funding I received under the Accessible Vehicle Program will give me the opportunity to be completely independent. I will no longer have to rely on someone else to lift my scooter in and out of my vehicle. With the power ramp that will be installed in my van, I will finally be able to transfer my scooter without assistance from others, which is a huge relief. This means that I will be able to go where I want, when I want, and that freedom is priceless. Many thanks to the Provincial Government for making this possible.”
- Brittany Long, 2015-16 Accessible Vehicle Program funding recipient
The program was initiated as part of Access. Inclusion. Equality. A Provincial Strategy for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. For more information on the strategy and action plan, visit: www.swsd.gov.nl.ca/disabilities/index.html.
QUICK FACTS:
- A total of $340,000 has been invested this year, through the Accessible Vehicle Program, to help 15 people with mobility disabilities to acquire or adapt personal vehicles for accessibility.
- Since the program’s inception in 2012, more than $1.2 million has been invested to help 65 individuals and families.
- The Accessible Vehicle Program was introduced as part of Access. Inclusion. Equality. A Provincial Strategy for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.
- For more information on the strategy and action plan, visit: www.swsd.gov.nl.ca/disabilities/index.html.
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Media contact:
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Heather May Director of Communications Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development 709-729-0928, 697-5061 heathermay@gov.nl.ca |
2015 08 18 10:10 a.m.